my mind is

Yulegoat Letter 2012

2012-11-06T16:38:12Z

Dear Yuletide Santa,
Apologies for the lateness! Hello and thank you for signing up for Yuletide this year! As I like to tell my Yulegoat every year, I want you to have as much fun writing as possible, so feel free to use your personal writing strengths and preferences while working on the fic. All the details in this letter are optional - but since you're reading, I assume it's because you would like some more direction. I hope this is helpful!

Here are some of things I do like/dislike in general:

Things I appreciate:
Ambiguous, complicated relationships
Bittersweet and sad-happy
In-character characters showing their distinct personalities
Speculation on back story/future/possible ending
Romance that takes a while to sort out
Difficult situations (nothing too easy)
Also, I am admittedly a sucker for nice language (ie, attention to how sentences flow, and how things sound - you can be as poetic/descriptive as you like)

Things I would definitely rather not see:
Mpreg
Genderswitch
PWP, or no plot, actually
Non-con
Situations/personality switches that make absolutely no sense in canon - I'm not saying the canon storyline has to be followed (meaning AUs are fine), but I would like something that would still work or be easy enough to imagine in canon context.

I'm fine with darker themes, (violence, abuse, etc), but I would prefer no graphic smut unless it makes sense in the context of the story.

About the requests:
Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) | Haku

Feel free to do what you like with this, as long as it captures the essence of the movie. One thing I really appreciate about the film is how it ties to Japanese culture and mythology; I adore the sentou setting and how well Miyazaki crafted it. Another tangent you could explore is Chihiro and Haku's relationship. I haven't completely rewatched the film yet, but I like the complexity that their relationship has, because of so many things - Haku's not being human, the fact that they're both so young, Chihiro's still needing to grow up so much. Although I received a lovely post-movie fic for one of my past Yuletides, you are more than welcome to have another stab at it - or, if you'd prefer, you can also try going to some point in Chihiro's past, and how it coincided with Haku.

The Tempest - Shakespeare | Ariel

Every year I have my completely random request, and this year Shakespeare somehow fit the bill - I just really like the character of Ariel - how it? he? is so mysterious and capable and powerful and yet also subservient, following Prospero's words and seeking his approval. There's something weirdly dangerous about their relationship, and I'm curious about that balance of power - since after all, Prospero has to rely on Ariel, too. But again, I don't actually want pairingfic (it's just weird? But if that's what you'd prefer to write, feel free). For this request in particular I'm really open to an AU. Just have fun with it.

Chronicles of Crestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones | Christopher Chant

The Lives of Christopher Chant is one of my favorite DWJ books, and I also really liked young!Christopher's appearance in Conrad's Fate. I feel like there's a gap in the series between the still-learning-the-ropes-Christopher and the already-impenetrably-awesome-Chrestomanci, so if you could write a story that fills the gap (or several points along the gap), I would be really pleased. I like magic, and DWJ's casual way of having magic blend with all the real-world feelings and issues that the characters are dealing with. And as I mentioned in my optional details, I'd be open to pairing fic for this, whether it's Christopher/Millie or Christopher/Conrad or some agglomeration of the two.

Crush - Richard Siken

I'm surprised this is on Yuletide, and whoever requested it or offered it as already awesome in my book just for liking Richard Siken. Do anything that captures the heartbreak of his poems - make your own story, make it slash or het, use something recognizable from fairytales or mythology, whatever. Have a blast. :)

That's all! Again, do what you like with the story - I'll appreciate it, no matter what. Thanks for reading, and have a happy yuletide! \o/

♥
mellish

dear yuletide santa, in case i'm away

2011-12-24T10:07:27Z

Dear Yuletide Santa(s),
I do this every year, and I've usually been able to get internet access on the 25th anyway, but just in case - I'll be away from the 25th-31st, and I'm not sure what my internet situation then will be. I'll do everything I can to read your stories on Christmas Day (there's a time difference because I'm in the Philippines right now), but in case I am not able to (and you'll know when I have because I'll be leaving comments!), know that I am very grateful and I will read them as soon as I get back.
Thank you, thank you, and Merry Christmas!
♥
mellish

le yulegoat letter

2011-11-20T02:08:39Z

Dear Yuletide Santa,
Hello and I hope you are having fun getting into the Holiday spirit! Thank you for signing up for one of my requested fandoms - I'm already excited to read your story! I want you to have as much fun writing as possible, so feel free to use your personal writing strengths and preferences while working on the fic. All the details in this letter are optional - but since you're reading, I assume it's because you would like some more direction. I hope this is helpful!

Here are some of things I do like/dislike in general:
Things I appreciate:
Ambiguous, complicated relationships
Bittersweet and sad-happy
In-character characters showing their distinct personalities
Speculation on back story/future/possible ending
Romance that takes a while to sort out
Difficult situations (nothing too easy)
Also, I am admittedly a sucker for nice language (ie, attention to how sentences flow, and how things sound - you can be as poetic/descriptive as you like)

Things I would definitely rather not see:
Mpreg
Genderswitch
PWP, or no plot, actually
Non-con
Situations/personality switches that make absolutely no sense in canon - I'm not saying the canon storyline has to be followed (meaning AUs are fine), but I would like something that would still work or be easy enough to imagine in canon context.

I'm fine with darker themes, (violence, abuse, etc), but I would prefer no graphic smut unless it makes sense in the context of the story.

About the requests:
The Rose of Versailles – Oscar, Andre

I finished this series this year and it was so powerful - tragic and at the same time heartwarming. I love Oscar and I would be very happy to see a story centered on her, at any point in her life. I love it when she's doing dangerous things and being crazy, but I also like it when she's human. I have to admit that her relationship with Andre was something I really enjoyed, especially towards the end of the series. I'm a sucker for unrequited love, but I was happy when they finally belonged to each other. Don't feel compelled to make this pairingfic - anything that captures the feel of Oscar would be much appreciated.

Nabari no Ou – Yoite, Miharu

This is my third year requesting this fandom, and basically, I'd just be happy to see some more Miharu and Yoite fic in this world. As I noted in my optional details, they don't need to be together - I adore them both separately - but there is something really silent and yet desperate about their relationship that I like. You can do whatever you want with this; I wouldn't say no to an AU for this fandom in particular. (Hospital? Historical? Wartime?)

Chrestomanci Series | Diana Wynne Jones – Christopher, Conrad

Oh, Christopher, so full of cheek. I love Chrestomanci, but I really like Christopher Chant, when he's still young and not quite so awesome. In any case, I would like to see any story with these two - whether it's behind the scenes during Conrad's Fate, or sometime after (around Christopher and Millie's engagement?), or even later (Cat's already there, and Conrad drops in) - or progressing through all of these? I'd be happy with background fic, and cameos from any other characters - I think adding Millie (or Tacroy!) in would be a cool dynamic. I'd be very happy with pairingfic too, if you'd like to bend it that way; or individual background-fic. Do whatever you like with this, as long as it's fun!

Antique Bakery – Tachibana

Yoshinaga Fumi is a genius. I love this manga, and how complicated the characters are, especially Ono and Tachibana. If you'd like to explore their history and their relationship - I thought that scene at the end of the series, when it was just the two of them (just like in the beginning!), had a really good feel. At the same time, I wouldn't mind a piece just exploring Tachibana (which is why he was the only one I requested) - I like how he is actually conflicted under that easygoing exterior. I'm open to anything that will explore his character further: day-to-day fic, a post-or-pre-series fic, or an ensemble-we-are-all-wacky-in-the-cafe fic - anything would be nice! And I would not say no to some descriptions of mouthwatering desserts, haha.

That's all! Again, do what you like with the story - I'll appreciate it, no matter what. Thanks for reading, and have a happy yuletide! \o/

♥
mellish

I don't think I will be, but just in case!

2010-12-24T14:02:19Z

Dear Yuletide writer,
There is a small possibility I won't be able to read and lavish love for my yuletide story because I'll be out of town (and perhaps with no internet access) when the archive goes up. Just in case I don't get to, know that I am very grateful and happy and am giving you a big holiday hug!
Cheers,
mellish

Dear Yuletide Santa 2010

2010-11-24T08:21:30Z

Dear Yuletide Santa,

Hello, and thank you for participating! I'm already sure the yuletide story I get will be one of my favorite gifts this year, and I hope it will be a lot of fun for you to write. The fandoms I've chosen are ones I like immensely and so would be happy to see any fic for. I was a little more specific with characters this time around, but all the other details are optional as usual. Write something that makes you happy, and it will surely make me happy, too! I like all these requests equally. 8D

Lifted from my yulegoat letter last year:

Things I appreciate:
Ambiguous relationships
Strong emotion
Bittersweet and sad-happy
In-character characters showing their distinct personalities
Speculation on back story/future/possible ending
Romance that takes a while to sort out
Generally, genfic, but I like all genres 8D

Things I would definitely rather not see:
Mpreg
Genderswitch
PWP. Or no plot, actually.
Non-con
Situations/personality switches that make absolutely no sense in canon - I'm not saying the canon storyline has to be followed (meaning AUs are fine), but I would like something that would still work or be easy enough to imagine in canon context.

I'm fine with violence as long as it works in the story's context (ie Hit Girl). Would prefer no smut unless it's necessary to the story (which I could see happening in the case of, say, Ooku). :)

About the requests:
1. Kick-Ass (2010) - Mindy "Hit Girl" Macready

I think this could be my favorite movie of 2010, due in no small part to Hit Girl, who was pure awesome. What's not to like about a little girl in a purple wig who can kill a room full of bodyguards? I'd like any Mindy-centric fic - background or post-movie OR even in-movie events. Interaction with any of the characters (Dave and his friends, Big Daddy, the D'Amico family, Katie? Even OC's are welcome) and some action would be great, but not necessary.

2. Nabari no Ou - Yoite/Rokujo Miharu/Shimizu Raimei

This is the second year in a row I am requesting Nabari!fic, mostly because I think it has great potential for heartbreaking fic, and I am weak for heartbreak. To quote from last year's request: I like Miharu and Yoite in equal amounts and their totally canon beyond-love understanding of each other. I like Yukimi being more practical than most other people, his not-caring care of Yoite. I like Raikou and his bad fashion sense. Just play up on anything already present in the series, and I will love you forever.

One thing - I did include Raimei this year, even if she isn't one of my favorite characters, because I find Aizawa/Raimei really sweet (I don't know why Aizawa wasn't on the series character list D:). So you don't need to include all those characters, really; take whatever combination works for you (and you're welcome to throw in the others, too!) I haven't read a big chunk of the series - basically everything after chapter 50 but before the ending - so I don't really know what's going on in that part, and I would appreciate it if the fic didn't take place there. Otherwise, you can go anywhere with this - NNO just really needs more love!

3. Ooku - Madenokoji Arikoto/Tokugawa Iemitsu

One of the best manga I've read this year. I love the way it takes culture and history and turns it upside down, while still retaining some very familiar elements. Basically I love everything about it, but I particularly thought it played out this pairing's love story really well. I forgot to include Yoshimune in the character tags, but she seems wonderfully badass, so if you'd rather write about her, I'd be happy with that, too. :D I haven't read the fourth volume yet, but it's likely I'll be able to before Christmas, so feel free to write this story how you would like to!

4. Rose of Versailles - Oscar/Andre/Rosalie/Marie Antoinette

I think Oscar is one of the best heroines I've ever encountered, so as long as the story includes her in large quantities, I'd be very happy. I like Andre pining after her, in the same way I like Rosalie pining after her; and I like her as Marie Antoinette's confidant and protector. So you could do a story from any (or all?) of those slants, or even just about Oscar purely, and it would be an awesome and sparkly gift like the show itself.

If you've read it to the end, congratulations, and I hope that was a little bit helpful! But if any of these details confused you or if you'd rather not write a story with them, please don't. Enjoy writing the story, and I will definitely enjoy reading it too! 8D Happy yuletide-ing!

Also, not related to yuletide: arrrgh I know I haven't been back on lj like I said I would be, and also I feel like a fish out of fandom water right now. ;___; I could say school, but. But. I'll come back soon. I'm hoping the yuletide spirit will drag me back into it. In any case, I miss you, lj friends! HU HU HU.

Yulegoat letter coming soon!

2010-11-23T08:28:13Z

To my dear yulegoat: Sorry, I haven't had time to type my letter up yet, but it'll be here soon! 8D My tastes haven't changed much anyway, although I'll try to include some specific points for my fandoms. Thank you so so much for your patience and I hope you are getting in the yuletide spirit as much as I am! *waves jangly Christmas bells*

what must be must

2010-08-17T16:47:49Z

So I lose my internet connection for a few days and...

...Nabari no Ou ends? OMG. WEEPING. Wait, no spoilers, I've just downloaded the raw and I have no idea what's going on anymore b-but. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ENDED. HUU.

Footnote
In the warm glow of paper lanterns
you possess the radiance of fireflies
and starlight. I tongue your name to send it
to the heavens, breathe its truth into the air
to seal it as a prayer. Your eyes are closed,
lashes longer than my breath
between looking at you and turning away.
You aren’t beautiful. Your hands
stain everywhere, and what comes
out of your mouth tends to pull the stitches
around my heart. But still I cling
to that unforgiving image: you
against the light, crumbling to nothing,
until all I can see is the graceful
unbearable arch of your neck -

Old work is old. But the love of the skinnystick people in this series just kills me every time. ;___;

By the way, Happy Birthday Diana Wynne-Jones! ♥ ♥ ♥

yeast in the water

2010-08-08T08:13:24Z

Okay, so 10-fic-goal is finished, thanks in large part to erosduos. A number of them need editing before I repost them, but hey, that's made this long break a little more productive at least. *blinks* Um, wow, I kind of can't believe that happened? I finished everything by July 31 but haven't written anything in the last eight days. Aggh. So, other things to write:

1. Inception!fic. Not like I actually have a headcanon for this or anything, but I've got an idea or two? I haven't even looked around the fandom yet, but from what I've read it is mostly Arthur/Eames. I want some Arthur/Ariadne so badly I just might write it. You know, all vague. It is an excuse to have those terrible cheating dream sequences. D:

Re: the movie - good fun, but I was a little disappointed by the fact that while the logic seems perfectly sound in the movieverse, once you drag it out into reality, it kind of makes you squint and go "Huh?" I know the point was the storytelling, and I love me some distorted dreams too, but I wish there was a little more real world behind the science.

2. Yuffentine for mythicbeast with maybe some KH canon? Yuffie is awesome no matter what incarnation. I am tempted to throw in Leon just to make things more awkward. :D

3. Maid-sama. Something for Aoi. Like a backstory. Or Aoi/Misaki because that kid is just so much grumbly crossdressing love.

4. Reborn? D18? I know there are a bajillion good fics for this pairing, but I don't know many from Kyoya's POV? Also, Siken's amazing poetry maybe could translate well, ie, the now familiar whipping boy. 8D

5. I need to get up to date with D.Grayman and then write Kanda/Allen and Kanda/Alma. *weeping about the loss of onemanga forevarrr*

6. Sirius/Lupin FINALLY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. Flitting throughout canon time? Post-death fic? After my last post - like right after - I stumbled across some awesomely satisfying Sirius/Lupin fics by mywholecry. Then of course I had to crack open Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix again and marvel at the love that is those two.

Tekken the Movie. I watched it yesterday with my friends. We made as much noise as the Tekken fanboys and were probably the only group consisting only of girls in the theater. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, but OMG it is so far from the Tekken the game (which I love, of course). And what was with every girl being an enormous slut? They weren't even that hot. Why did they put Dragunov and Miguel in? Who the hell was Jin's blond girlfriend, why did Steve have a history with Jun (and why was he some lame coaching dude)? Kazuya was so fantastically lame and creepy. Awkward editing. Flashback overload. Why were the Jackhammers speaking Japanese? Christy/Jin dance sequence was fail. Kazuya/Anna/Nina threesome was disgusting and lol-inducing.

My friend and I decided it was like a Tekken AU written by a preteen. It would have the following summary: AU. Jin lives in d underworld, his mom iz kiled. He decided 2 join d Tekken Ironfist tournament 2 avenge her by killin Heihachi. Jin/christy. this is my 1st tekken fic so pls be kind. don't forget to r&r! ^^

Okay, I know, it does not follow canon (probably never intended to). It was a mess of testosterone. Next time the movie should have Panda, Kuma, Asuka, Lili, Xiaoyu, Paul, and a not-fail Law.

Heihachi at least was win. We burst into giggles every time he appeared onscreen. His hair! His face! God it looks so ridiculous when not in a videogame, and he was noble and a good guy and wait - are we talking about the right person?

Sigh. But when did a videogame-turned-movie ever go right, anyway?

so when you gonna

2010-07-19T14:58:07Z

The AO3 Archive can now import fics from FF.Net - maybe this function has been working for a while and I've just missed it? 8D Haha. So I've been archiving and rereading lots my old work in the process. Some of it makes me cringe (so wooden aggh), but others still make me quirk my lips, and it's nice remembering. I miss some of those fandoms. I might stop being active but I can love something forever.

Also, pimping. Saw a lot of awesome prompts. :D Going to leave some of my own, maybe, and see what I can fill, too. Spread the word!

♚
multi-fandom

comment!fic fest

somebody needs a whack

2010-07-11T11:15:43Z

Goal: ten fics in thirty days.

That's new fics (because apparently I also cheat sometimes). Reminding myself here so that if I don't make it, I will feel ashamed every time I see this. I know, I know. It is not such a huge deal. Maybe a me-before could manage, but me-now just kind of sucks at this whole business. Well, I'm starting to poke around more fandoms, that must be good.

Right Now, Nowhere - Durarara!!; Namie-centric, some Namie/Izaya. He makes her want to do a bad job on purpose.
Maybe I Need You - Durarara!!; Izaya-centric, some Izaya/Shizuo and Kida/Izaya. This is not the Ikebukuro he knows.
Scarred Breathing - DOGS; Naoto, Nill. Nill traces Naoto's scars.
Absolution - Fullmetal Alchemist; Ed, Al. Kyoudai-fic. Post-series. Ed nurses Al back to health.
The Roles We Play - Kuroshitsuji; Older!Demon!Butler!Ciel and Earl!Sebastian, post-series AU for erosduos.
3 in the Afternoon - Reborn!; Squalo/Yamamoto, Italy, lazy afternoon for erosduos.
The Sparks That Did It - Reborn!; mafiadon!Gokudera/hitman!Yamamoto for erosduos.
Falling in Increments - Durarara!!; Celty/Shinra (with more emphasis on Celty) and how things don't go according to plan.
Dirt in the Sandbox - Reborn!; Ryohei/Gokudera, they can no longer be children, for erosduos.
What Makes You Numb - Reborn!; Mukuro/Chrome, possession is nine-tenths of THEIR law, for erosduos.

Will be reposting (possibly) with edits as we go along. So, um. Fifteen fic goals now?

Other news. Sam and Frodo finally tossed the Ring in Mordor. Spent most of the week in waiting rooms and feeling sore. Eating Marty's Crackling practically every meal, HALP. Learned how to effectively use a letter-opener and a stapler remover. Reading Reborn!, long after the whole world has. I kind of love everyone, OMG, even if the Future!Arc where I'm currently at depresses me for some odd reason. Started rereading Richard Siken's Crush. Still makes me want to weep and throw things.

stars arranged in rows

2010-06-25T03:22:21Z

This is pretty accurate. Especially for a quiz that's only two questions long.

I DO NOT TAKE THINGS TOO SERIOUSLY MAAAHHHH >:B Or, well, it depends. Academics? Why do I have to be such a nerd, anyway?

Your result for The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test...

1- the Perfectionist

Thanks for taking the test !

you chose CZ - your Enneagram type is ONE (aka "The Reformer").

"I do everything the right way"

Perfectionists are realistic, conscientious, and principled.

They strive to live up to their high ideals.

How to Get Along with Me

• Take your share of the responsibility so I don't end up with all the work.

• Acknowledge my achievements.

• I'm hard on myself. Reassure me that I'm fine the way I am.

• Tell me that you value my advice.

• Be fair and considerate, as I am.

• Apologize if you have been unthoughtful. It will help me to forgive.

• Gently encourage me to lighten up and to laugh at myself when I get uptight, but hear my worries first.

What I Like About Being a ONE

• being self-disciplined and able to accomplish a great deal

• working hard to make the world a better place

• having high standards and ethics; not compromising myself

• being reasonable, responsible, and dedicated in everything I do

• being able to put facts together, coming to good understandings, and figuring out wise solutions

• being the best I can be and bringing out the best in other people

What's Hard About Being a ONE

• being disappointed with myself or others when my expectations are not met

• feeling burdened by too much responsibility

• thinking that what I do is never good enough

• not being appreciated for what I do for people

• being upset because others aren't trying as hard as I am

• obsessing about what I did or what I should do

• being tense, anxious, and taking things too seriously

ONEs as Children Often

• criticize themselves in anticipation of criticism from others

• refrain from doing things that they think might not come out perfect

• focus on living up to the expectations of their parents and teachers

• are very responsible; may assume the role of parent

• hold back negative emotions ("good children aren't angry")

ONEs as Parents

• teach their children responsibility and strong moral values

• are consistent and fair

• discipline firmly

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele, The Enneagram Made Easy. Discover the 9 Types of People.

Harper: San Francisco, 1994, 161 pages

You liked the test? so S P R E A D I T ! tell everyone!!!

(copypaste the HTML-code from below to your profile or blog!)

please, leave a comment HERE

you wanna know MORE? so check out, what Wikipedia says about your type... ...even more you'll find in Google

_____________________

You are not completely happy with the result?!

You chose CZ. Use the BACK-button on your browser see the other options!

Take The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test at OkCupid

Take it yourself? 8D

away over yonder: summer reviews

2010-06-17T14:56:43Z

Stuck in an inevitable psychedelic-or-maybe-this-is-a-dream sequence in something I am writing, which is kind of awful but a must, so I'm taking a break to write about the manga/books/anime I've read/watched this summer. Potential spoilers, but many of these aren't new, so you probably aren't at much risk.

Books
I told myself I was going to finish all the books I've kept in my library the past few years that I haven't read and yet haven't donated (in the hopes that I would someday have the will/patience/brains to read them). This means, almost exclusively, YA Fantasy.

1. Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones - a reread, and ya'll know DWJ is my favorite author. But I must just reiterate how awesome a book this is. She manages to work a very non-linear storyline and inserts understated romance, Awesome Female Characters, teenage wangst that is accurately depicted as melodramatic, a Lead Guy Who Is Not Gorgeous (the other characters repeatedly say his face is like a skull's, though he does have a killer smile) but Still Verily Awesome (EEE rabbit scene!), sad pasts (and I mean sad), humor, mythological references, a huge cast of likeable characters and adult themes told in a very interesting and original way. This is one of her few books labeled as 'intended for an adult audience' - I disagree with that because her 'young adult books' can be mature, but I certainly enjoyed this and Deep Secret as a young adult.

The story's basic premise is that there is an organization of Five Reigners who rule over the universe, Earth (our regular Earth) being one of the more technologically-backwards planets. It turns out, however, that there is a special machine on earth called the Bannus which was created to select the best Reigners to rule - by endlessly playing out different scenarios until it reaches the best possible outcome (think of those Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Books where you cheated. Repeatedly). After many, many years, the Bannus has started to act again and in so doing, sucks many people (from Earth and otherwise) into its field, creating a massive amount of chaos.

You know, I can't be very coherent when I talk about DWJ's magnificence, so just read this. (Admittedly her books are kind of hard to find in the Philippines. If you spot it, do not hesitate!)

2. So You Want to Be A Wizard by Diane Duane - one of the most linear books I have read in a long time. I guess I don't mean linear as chronological, so much as...paced. The first word that comes to mind when I think about it is solid. It's very solid. The magic is solid, the way people learn magic is solid, and the plot is solid. Somehow the theme of Light VS Dark and how it is very conventionally Good VS Evil made it a tad bit predicatible for me. Even the way the Evil One came into being was very much Lucifer/Fallen Angel, but I still enjoyed it a lot. It was a different retelling of the usual comic battle, told in concrete settings - Manhattan, and the Other Evil Manhattan. The magic itself felt organic to me - not too complicated, a good mix of technology and nature. And the two leads, Nita and Kit, are very...(wait for it)...SOLID. Good kids with their own flaws and strengths. I don't have a standout love for them, but they worked very well together and moved the story along. It was a satisfying read and I might actually read the next books in this surprisingly extensive series.

ALSO: Tom Swale and Carl Romeo, the advisory wizards. If I remember correctly it is hinted that they are hot. Anyway, talented male wizards who happen to be living together in the proverbial creepy village house. EEEEE.

3. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander - yes, I know, I've never read Lloyd Alexander until now. How could I? I thought it was good, old-fashioned fantasy, similar to Princess Bride but not quite using the same devices, perhaps because of its ties to Welsh mythology. (And its decidedly less ironic tone.) Taran annoyed me (maybe he's supposed to, as the stouthearted impulsive helper-turns-hero). I liked Eilonwy, who was very useful, except it seemed too easy to make her like Taran. I have to admit, though, that my favorite character was Hen Wen. I loved her Hwoinch-ing. And an oracle pig - come on, you have to admit that is the coolest oracle ever.

4. Beast by Donna Jo Napoli - the back of the book says, Meet the Beast...Before there was Beauty. Aptly so. I bought it a couple of years ago because it was on sale. Also, I thought the cover was sexy (and yes, among the reviews on the back of the book, I remember one saying "Erotic.") Beast tells the story of Prince Orasmyn, who through some unfortunate circumstances is turned into a lion. He then struggles to remain a man, despite his lion-like instincts, while searching for someone who can break his curse. An interesting aspect of the story is the Prince's religion and how it conflicts with his animal instincts - he can't eat meat as a human, but as a lion, it's his only choice. Also, Prince Orasmyn wasn't a jerk prior to transformation like the Beast we all know (ahem! yes, the Disney version). He just had bad luck, or something. About 70% of the book is Orasmyn journeying around as a lion, in a very Discovery Channel-esque fashion - the prose is good, but does drag in parts. I only managed because I knew he had to meet Belle eventually.

Belle appears only in the last section of the book, and is surprisingly similar to the Disney version (bookish and purehearted). Their growing to like each other here feels earnest enough. We all know how the story ends, and I was just a little bit sad that it wasn't milked more than it was - I mean, a little more romance would have been rewarding, you know? - but I guess that wasn't the point of the story either.

Highlight of the book: Prince Orasmyn HUMPS two lionesses. In rapid succession. In lion form, obviously, but still. Bestiality (?!) - so I guess that's what made it erotic, hmm?

5. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - I think I've had this in my library for I don't know, twelve years? I was missing something good. This book is told through the viewpoint of Gen, a (duh) Thief, who has just landed in the King's prison for (duh) stealing. However, he is pulled out of prison by the Magus, the King's personal advisor, who believes Gen is capable of stealing a special stone (Hamiathes' Gift) that will secure the King's throne and grant him power over other countries (there's a semi-complicated background on the world they live in, involving very interesting Creation Stories and Histories. Very nicely imagined). Thus begins Gen's journey with the Magus, and two of the Magus's apprentices (Ambiades the bitch!boy, and Sophos the nice!child), and a soldier named Pol.

This is also a good ol' fantasy, though similar to an RPG and with references to Greek mythology. Since it's told in first person, the story at first seems a little narrow in its telling (Gen narrating to us what he's doing, thinking, or wants to do, or wants to say aloud, etc). For the first half of the book it's also a lot of journeying and tiredness and Gen being wry and proud. But when they finally reach the sekrit lair where the precious artifact is stored, wow, the story really picks up. Gen reveals his pure awesomeness - he really is a talented thief, not just a braggart. Then a lot of important (and sometimes shocking) things happen, and people get hurt in a realistic fashion, and Gen just gets more and more awesome. The last section of the book made me want to explode with GAHHH! HOW AWESOME HE IS! ALSO, TWIST ENDING IS TWISTY! Highly enjoyable book, and while the lack of females was apparent for me, the ending kind of resolved that too.

I must admit a big part of my enjoyment involved the character Sophos - who played young, polite page to perfection - who I kept on imagining as Al from FMA. I PROFESS NOW MY ETERNAL LOVE FOR AL, ER, SOPHOS. (I also imagined the Magus as a kind of mage Roy Mustang - okay okay, the Magus is a scholar and not a mage, but still. Robes, or something. And Gen himself was kind of like Ed.)

6. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - I'm in the first chapter of Return of the King now. This is another one of those books - well, three, in this case - that have been sitting in my library for years. I could never get past the first page before - was too intimidated by the Prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, it seems - and I thought the language would be difficult. I was wrong. The language isn't difficult - in fact, it's really enjoyable, clearcut. The words used are simple, but the best words - very like DWJ in that sense. And there's poetry. Lots of it! The whole time I've been reading I get blown away by the clarity of description and how the story moves along. Everything is just so clear, which is weird because of the scale of the novel. I mean there are different languages, races, ways of doing magic, but it's very contained and not hard to imagine at all. (I've tried writing fantasy and I find it difficult to make the unbelievable graspable. I also think that if anyone attempts the grandeur of Tolkien now they will sound like tired copycats. Sigh. No one can beat the original.)

I swear, I've fallen in love with nearly every character. Internal monologue as I'm reading: Gandalf, EEE! Aragorn-slash-Strider - EEEE!! The HOBBITS! AWESOME!! (THE HOBBITS ARE AWSOME IT MATTERS NOT THAT THEY LOOK LIKE CHILDREN! ALSO, THEY LIKE TO DRINK!) LEGOLAS CALLING THEM "YOU CHILDREN"! EEEE! FRODO! PIPPIN! FARAMIR! EEEE!

The one exception would be Sam, who talks way too much. To himself. BUT! Sam's love for Frodo is SO TWU. It beats BellaxEdward a million times over! Come on, all his "My dear Master Frodo" and "I love him so" and egads, egads, letting Frodo sleep on his lap. THE TWUEST LOVE EVER. The only thing that comes even remotely close is Smeagol's love for his preciousss. Or Smeagol's love of fisssh.

...There does need to be more girl power, though. I mean the girl with the most relevance thus far in the story, I think, was Shelob. You know, the putrid spider who stingers Frodo in the neck and gets stabbed by Sam? Jeez.

If I write LOTR fic after all these years I will kind of laugh at myself.

Manga
1. Kaichou wa Maid-Sama - I started out really enjoying this; Misaki is cool, despite her being similar to most other Perfect Girl Student shojo leads (ie Yukino from Kare Kano, that girl from SA - I couldn't get past the first few chapters of SA, really. Perfect Girl and Perfect Guy had NO FLAWS. Except, I don't know, Perfect Girl is too cheerful? And Perfect Guy pretends to be an asshole by teasing her? Someone try to change my mind about this series. Haha), because she has a fairly reasonable dislike for guys, and a strong desire to Protect the Girls. It also broke a lot of tropes I was expecting it to stick to, early on. But I'm in the chapter-30's now and Misaki is just doing a lot of blushing around Usui. A LOT OF BLUSHING. WHERE DID YOUR AWESOME HEROINE-NESS GO, MISAKI? *sigh* Usui is charming in his way. And I guess about 20% more perverted than the usual Perfect Guy, but he takes Perfect Guy to an entirely new level. As in COOKING-VIOLIN-PLAYING-TABLE-SETTING LEVEL!! BLACK BUTLER LEVEL, OKAY?! This is probably part of Usui's Secret Past. But there is a spoiler that utterly puzzles me: why the heck is he a 'secretly megane' character?

What saves the series for me - the supporting characters, especially Yukimura (the secretary-weakling who is adorable and looks cute in drag). Also Kanou, the Megane Man. He is also a Hood-wearing Character. And hotter than Usui, IMHO. And when did Kanou and Yukimura suddenly become Such Good Friends? *suspicious eyes* I like the other maids, too. And I think Aoi is adorable. Of course it helps that he likes to dress up in drag. This series has a lot of genderbendy moments, which is a big plus for me, but I am still hoping Misaki changes back to the old, reliable, not-perpetually-blushing her.

2. Ooku: The Inner Chambers - bought the first volume during the Hawaii trip, then my generous friends birthday-gifted me volumes 2 and 3. The story is set in feudal Japan, with one major difference - a disease called the Redface Pox has greatly reduced the male population. Thusly women have become the family breadwinners - merchants, farmers, even the feudal lords and the shogun (!) are female. Men, on the other hand, are treated like precious daughters that are married into other houses, or (if they are poor) whored out for their 'precious seed' to women who wish to bear children. The Ooku refers to the Inner Seraglio found in the Shogun's Palace, where a harem of beautiful men reside for the pleasure (hee) of the shogun.

The art uses a lot of negative space - it's not a tone-heavy series, and indeed many panels are simple. But the art does well in shifting the focus to the story, which is beautifully told. The author doesn't draw typical pretty boys, but you can tell they are attractive. I thought Viz handled the translation well. The Old English dialogue takes some getting used to, but is enjoyable when you do. The big format suits it nicely, too, and the covers are gorgeous - the artist colors beautifully. It's an excellent read: interesting, a second look at Japan's history had things gone very, very differently. And the adult themes (of which there are many) are handled in a compassionate manner. The last page of the second volume practically slayed me and made me realize this manga is special - human and honest, like Nana in a way, but at the same time very different. Highly recommended.

I saw a poster for it while I was in Japan and then I realized that it was going to be turned into a live-action film. Starring - wait for it - Kazunari Ninomiya of ARASHI fame. EEEEEEE OKAY. NINO + OOKU? WHAT IS THIS? SOMEONE MUST BE MESSING WITH ME.

Impressions of other manga after reading the first chapters online:
1/2 Prince - interesting premise - you can never fault me my love of genderbending, seriously - and it made me nostalgic for RPGs especially with the butt-chomping monsters. I'm not sure how far it takes the innovation past the first chapter.

Kimi ni Todoke - kind of like Wallflower (aka Perfect Girl Evolution) but with the art of High School Debut. Also Sunako > Sawako, but it doesn't seem to be the point anyway; so far the two leads seem a little ho-hum to me. I was glad, however, when the lead guy mentioned (or did he just thought-bubble it?) that he wasn't anything special, he was usually 'just a perverted guy.' Hooray for subverting shojo's guilty-pleasure-but-oftentimes-unbearable Perfect Male Lead trope! Seriously.

Anime
1. The Rose of Versailles, am currently in episode twentysomething - old-school shojo FTW! Seriously, I love this series. It's interesting how the creator retold the history of the Versailles court, and made historical figures Sparkly Shojo Characters. And Oscar, can I just say, is the most incredible heroine ever. Horseriding, swordfighting, using a pistol, being smart, playing the fecking piano. While still maintaining her luscious blond curls! Neither man nor woman can resist her awesome. Seriously, everyone in the court is drooling over Oscar, who also happens to be magnificently stoic. What I really love about Berubara is that everyone thinks. The good guys, the bad guys, the side characters, the lead characters. Everyone has a brain (and uses it), the plots are intricate. And the bitches are real bitches - very far from the typical shojo classroom-bullying fare. No, this is steal-your-livres-and-forest-assassinations bitchiness! And run-thee-over-with-carriage bitchiness! Court cattiness at its finest, with no boring episodes. So much fun, you'll forget it's as retro as it actually is.

I saw Berubara makeup while I was in a drugstore in Japan. HAHAHA. There's Marie Antoinette lipgloss, and Oscar lipgloss. And sparkly shojo mascara!

2. DURARARA! - I can't remember what episode I'm in. Fifteen, I think? I'm enjoying it, though I must admit that my enjoyment probably increased because I actually went to Ikebukuro this summer, so I know the area they're in. It's an ensemble series, so the plot is kind of stretched, and I feel it spreads itself too thin in some parts (because of the overlarge cast). Also some characters which seem to be important aren't really, and vice versa, or I just haven't watched enough. The animation is gorgeous, the voice-acting is impressive, and I am all for mixing up folk mythology with urban mythology. There are funny moments and there are cool moments. This is also a thinking series - I picked up a thing or two from the second episode alone that I could turn over in my head for days. I also appreciate that it doesn't desperately shove pairings in your face, and the characters are all double-sided and more than they seem. Worth looking into, especially if you like your plots complicated and your characters twisted.

Oddly enough my favorite character is Shizuo, with Celty being a somewhat distant second, and Shizuo's little brother (who looks like Miharu from Nabari, YES) a random third. I'm starting to hope the Big Plot reveals itself to be more interesting than what it's turning out to be (evil corporation ahoy!), but I'm enjoying the unraveling anyhow.

Apologies for the incoherence. I guess I have no choice but to return to trying-to-write, now. Anyone, you're welcome to hit me up with new fandoms. I've got. Kind of a lot of time. o_o

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay

2010-06-08T14:13:03Z

Watch the trailer and buy her book! :)

Candy Gourlay is a Filipina author who's book, Tall Story, got a deal with David Fickling books, an imprint of Random House. In the Philippines, the book will be released by Cacho Publishing House. The local launch is set for July 22. This is a huge deal for Filipino writers - especially in a genre as small as young adult! You can read more about her here. I know I was super happy when I found out the news myself last year - reading Ms. Gourlay's story gave me hope. We really need more breaks like this in the international publishing scene.

why i write fic

2010-05-12T08:42:03Z

Everyone knows about this discussion already, and I know everyone has said everything better. I just felt the need to give my own personal, impassioned ramble, because fic means so much to me and I'm sad (and annoyed) when people blast it without knowing why we write and read it.

Here’s the thing – fic writing is writing. It’s not fake writing as opposed to real writing. Fic writers do the same things writers of original fiction do. They use the same devices. They also call upon grammar and style, they also work hard on characterization. They also slave over the plot. Contrary to many ill-thought-out comments, fic writing is not just gay porn or self-inserts. Those fanfics do exist. But as it turns out, good fanfics do too! No matter how many crappy fics there are, there are also good, beautiful fics that make the whole practice of fic writing worth it (and no, it doesn’t give you a right to say that all fanfiction should disappear because majority seem to suck – that’s not the cardinal rule for any kind of art in this world). Fic writing is writing: when it’s done well, it’s thought-provoking, heartrending, beautiful, and absolutely worth reading, recommending, and responding to.

Writing fic is kind of like running out there with a target on your head asking people to shoot, to say if what you’ve done is any good or not. Yes, you get an instant audience – because of fandom – and you suddenly have readers. That will tell you their opinion, good or bad. Right away. And if they're avid fans like the fic writers usually is, they will shoot, because they care about the original work and what is done with it. I started posting fic online when I was ten – well, okay, I wrote fic for Disney’s Mulan when I was eight, but they were posted on one of those shrine websites with, like, thirty visitors on the hit counter – and I remember being absolutely boggled by the fact that people were reading the stuff I wrote. It was Fushigi Yuugi and I wrote three paragraphs of Yui!angst, with a poem for novelty, and I dumped it on the internet on a whim – and somebody actually liked it. Someone said, ‘this is cute!’ and somebody said, ‘this is so sad!’ and my ten-year-old-brain went, oh my god, did somebody that was not me actually read something I wrote?

That story was not, by any stretch of imagination, a good one. But it awakened something in me. It made me realize I could write, and somebody other than myself would find that writing worth reading. It made me realize I didn’t have to wait until I was actually published to be able to share my words with others. I could do it now, and someone somewhere could enjoy it now, and somebody would think ‘this is cute!’ and smile a little because of something I wrote, about a character we both loved. My ten-year-old self couldn’t have gotten comments anywhere else, probably wouldn’t have gotten better, wouldn’t have been able to explore what and how to write, or why write at all. Writing fic did not stop me from writing original fiction - but it did help me write better, period, and for any young aspiring author that’s precisely what matters.

So I wrote fic. And wrote, and wrote some more. A lot of it was crap, but I did learn to keep on writing. And I read. I couldn’t always buy books – there are virtually no public libraries in the Philippines and all the books in the bookstore are sealed with plastic because otherwise they’d get destroyed – but if I had an internet connection, I was getting my fill of words. It probably wouldn’t be an overstatement if I said that everything I learned about writing, I learned from fanfic. Writing different perspectives. Second person. Stream-of-consciousness. Drabbles, flash fic, discipline, how to leave thoughtful reviews. Hell, I even learned about freeverse poetry from reading some really awesome examples in a Sakura Taisen fic when I was eleven. And I learned all of these for free. No writing classes, no professional fee. I read plenty, and I tried to emulate what I read by writing my own fic, and I learned.

And somewhere along the way, I like to think that the learning did pay off. I quit fandom for a few years because I had no confidence in my own writing, and I was almost too scared of hearing others' opinions to dip my feet back into it. But I was still writing my fics. I couldn’t help it. Writing was one thing I could do. It was my fannish hobby, because I wasn’t into cosplay, didn’t draw very well, couldn’t compose or transcribe music. I was writing, but my stories weren’t being shared with anyone. It seemed counterproductive to just hoard the writing. I wanted to see if my words would get anywhere. I didn’t want to be writing in a vortex. Someone needed to know that I cared, too.

So I put my work out there. And I've been doing it for a couple of years now. And I find it that it's worth it. Because every so often, I receive a word or two about my stories that makes me think I’ve done something worthwhile – people who’ve told me that my fic made them laugh, or made them feel bad for breathing, or made them want to get back into the fandom, or even try the fandom out because normally they avoided it like the plague. The idea that I could have touched something in a person, through this story I’ve written, is just incredible. But there are so many fics that have touched me in that same way, so I know it’s true. And yes – fanfic has hurt me. I’ve sat in front of my computer crying because of awesome fanfics. I’ve felt emotionally winded because of awesome fanfics. I’ve finished some fics and just stared dully at the air a couple of moments because I will never, for the life of me, understand how anyone can write so goddamn well. If I could make anyone feel even a fraction of what I feel after reading a great fanfic - wow. I'd feel accomplished.

Does that mean that I intend to rob anything from the source material, when I write? No. Some may consider writing fic cheating, because it presents a quick audience – you haven’t earned these fans, the original author did! You didn’t write that universe. You can’t screw up that story by making the characters gay! Well, most fic writers don’t claim to be the actual writer. They don’t claim rights to the universe or the characters or the story. They don’t claim rights to the fans. They don’t write fic as a fuck-you to canon, but as an i-love-you to canon. I don’t write Howl’s Moving Castle fic because I think there’s anything wrong with the actual Howl’s Moving Castle. I don’t write about Elphaba arguing with Granny about Nessarose because I think Gregory Maguire made a mistake not including that scene in the book. I don’t write about Jack Sparrow coming back to see Elizabeth because I think the director was stupid for not ending the movie that way.

It’s called speculation. Did I wonder about what would happen, if things went that way? Yes, and I wrote it down, because I thought the wondering was interesting, and that it would be nice to see what other people think. I also thought it would make a cool tribute to the original. But I don’t write Yuffentine because I think Yuffie and Vincent should have been canon. That’s canon. Nothing I do can change that, and I don’t want canon to change, because I like it. I’m a fan of it – derived from fanatic, an ardent admirer, an enthusiast. That’s why I do fanwork. Because I like the source material so much, and I want to share my love for it. I share this love by writing something that extends from my thoughts about it. I pick writing because I think I do writing better than I do drawing, and singing, and making icons about it. And sometimes that writing makes other fans happy, and for me that’s the best reward. Fandom exists because of canon, and has no wish to obliterate canon – but when the creator of canon wishes to obliterate fandom, well. That’s canon’s loss.

You’re welcome to not welcome fanfic for your works. That’s your prerogative as an author and we can all respect that. You are also welcome to share your personal opinion on fanfic. That is an opinion. We can also respect that. But don’t tell us what we do is morally reprehensible, or lazy, or cowardly, or stealing, or cheating. Don’t tell us what we do is wrong, or juvenile. Don’t tell us what we do is something ugly, or vomit-inducing.

We write fic because we like writing, because we’re happy when other people like our writing, because sometimes we hear from others who like our writing and we like that. We like to squee over characters. We like to ponder and wonder. We like to revisit our favorite scenes. And we like to write it down, because sometimes, other people can enjoy it, too. And we do it for free. Out of love, joy, discussion, connection, affection – that’s the language and spirit of fanwork. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how one cannot see the love aspect of fic. We write our fic, and in doing so, share our affection for the canon work, and for others who love that same work. Because we’re fans. It’s kind of what we do.

scratchmist @ 2010-04-24T01:46:00

2010-04-23T17:46:39Z

Starting to read up on RaceFail after being led there by a link in the latest post of bookshop. Came across this article, I Didn't Dream of Dragons by Deepad. It struck a lot of things inside me as an aspiring author, who is Filipino, who loves fantasy and young adult, who has also stuck to the white protagonist trope, who grew up privileged, who favors Fiction over Filipiniana in a bookstore. I quote the article:

When I was around thirteen years old, I tried to write a fantasy novel. It was going to be an epic adventure with a cross-dressing princess on the run, a snarky hero, and dragons. I got stuck when I had to figure out what they would do after they left the city. Logically, there would be a tavern.

But there were no taverns in India. Write what you know is a rule that didn’t really need to be told to me; after having spent my entire life reading books in English about people named Peter and Sally, I wanted to write about the place I lived in, even if I didn’t have a whole bookcase of Indian fantasy world-building to steal from. And I couldn’t get past the lack of taverns.

I also wanted to write that fantasy, when I was twelve. My intended story had nearly the exact same premise, even. My princess was named White White (I don't even know how I thought that was clever), and the snarky hero was an outlaw named Hades. Not that I ever tried writing it for real, but I recognize right away that one of the first problems I would have encountered would be the tavern. Even the castle, I think. There are no taverns in the Philippines, and no castles, not in the turret-and-flags way I know castles to be. I was going to drag in fairytales and princesses, lifting from the only fantasy I knew - the only fantasy I still know, which is almost without exception British or American.

I haven't read the arguments all the way through. I'm not educated about these things. I've only started to learn about all these major discussions going on in fandom, in the online community - why AO3 exists (whereas before it was just a place for me to participate in yuletide), what Twilight is doing to the YA landscape and why there are so many of its clones in National Bookstore, why the upcoming Avatar movie isn't just something we can roll our eyes at because, well, it's Hollywood. But I think they are important things worth learning.

Regarding Otherness, I also think that these are issues Filipino writers should consider. I'm not really trying to drag our culture into the discussion right now - not being as ignorant as I am - but I've also asked and wondered what I'm supposed to do about it. I wrote high school essays about it. I emailed a famous local writer about it. When are we ever going to get our own Harry Potter? Why is it that everyone knows what puttanesca is and I can't write about a plate of sisig because no one gets it? Why is the only royal fantasy I can write an imitation of the works of Gail Carson Levine, Tamora Pierce? etc.

I quote again:

Do not tell me, or the people like me who have grown up hearing Arabic around them, or singing in Swahili, or dreaming in Bengali—but reading only (or even mostly) in English (or French, or Dutch)—that this colonial rape of our language has not infected our ability to narrate, has not crippled our imagination. When I was in class 7, our English teacher gave us the rare creative writing assignment, and three of my classmates wrote adventure stories about characters named Julian and Peggy and Tom. Do not tell me that this cultural fracture does not affect the odds required to produce enough healthy imaginations that can chrysalis into writers...

And also, do not imagine that making it to print is some idealistic winnowing of quality. Someone once said to me, when I told them how much smaller the publishing industry in India was compared with the American one, that they supposed that what was published then, must be of the highest quality. It is not an equal playing field. This is like assuming that the one runner in India who perseveres in the face of poverty and institutional neglect and governmental lack-of-infrastructure will by virtue of her drive and passion be as good as the team of runners culled from the tens of thousands of children sent to athletic training camps in China for the express purpose of creating Olympic medallists.

When I wrote that local writer five years ago, and he published my letter in his column, my main beef with Philippine lit was that it lacked genre fiction. I wanted to know where our sci-fi, horror, fantasy, young adult, etc was. Since then I think there have been major strides in the local genre fiction scene. We now have the Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Contests, thefarthestshore and the annual Philippine Speculative Fiction anthologies. And I think that's great! But now I know the problem isn't just in diversifying what we write, the lack of universality in what we write. It's also having no incentives, no publishers, no tough editors - I might expound on this some other time, but it's something I picked up from a talk by Miguel Syjuco that I attended - no readers, even. I did a little research on this for my argumentative paper in freshman English class, and one of the top publishers in the country told me (in an email interview) that for the past 18 years cookbooks have topped their best sellers list. She also said that Poetry and Fiction are the hardest to sell.

Maybe a teensy publishing industry is something most non-Western writers have to struggle with too. It's just - wow. Reading some of this has really clarified for me some personal thoughts I've struggled to understand the past few years, about the difficulty of writing and being not white in a culture so highly Westernized/Americanized, having that dual identity. I love reading so much but really, almost everything I read is not my culture. At the same time reading affects almost everything in how I write, so how can I not write that way? I feel guilty - maybe that isn't the right word, but it's the one that comes to mind - for writing pseudo-Western stories, because I'm not Western, but if I wrote about tricycles and Santo Nino, who would get me? I don't want to exoticize it, either. I even once got questioned for writing in English (ie because I'm Filipino, I should write in Filipino). Oh my god, the whole dragons thing. I could go on about this, I guess. But I need to know more and straighten out my thoughts first. I also know the English/Filipino debate is a whole other discussion. At the same time, reading all of this has me going - so what can I write?

One more thought - I think that writers like Miguel Syjuco and Candy Gourlay, Filipinos who have had their works accepted by major international publishing houses, are paving the way for what could be a totally different future for local writers. However, they also needed to be out of the Philippines in order to 'make it happen,' and that could be saying something.

Anyone interested in reading more about RaceFail, I quote from bookshop: There are literally thousands of posts about it at this point so it's impossible to read through, but the two places to start to get a handle on it are probably this timeline and this timeline and overview. After which you want to read as many of rydra_wong's links as you can.

by a mile

2010-04-19T08:14:06Z

How to write a Nicholas Sparks novel. Funny stuff.

Am also greatly amused by the reviews of The Last Song on Rotten Tomatoes. Oh, Miley Cyrus. What would we do without her.

Juicylicious Book Contest

2010-04-07T06:45:36Z

Rediscovering my love for YA! Not like I ever really lost it, but. I held off on reading YA books for a while - with the exception of DWJ - to try stuff from the Fiction section in the Bookstore. Now, re-entering the genre with a vengeance.

Came upon this site which reviews YA books through bookshop. I am a big believer in winning things for free. Even more awesome, you can join the YA book giveaway contest! :D

I know I have no space on my bookshelves. D: Must unclog them sometime.

Re RL: waiting waiting augh the waiting shall kill me.

bodies out of the laaaaake

2010-04-01T15:31:45Z

I just have to say:
My favorite poet plays Farmville on Facebook. :|

AWESOME.

Edit: Whaaaaat I missed a DWJ ficathon? Whaaaaat. :(
Damn youuuu, school.

Dear Yulegoat!

2009-12-21T08:24:41Z

To my dear yuletide writer,
I'm writing this letter just in case I won't have internet access on the 25th. I'm really looking forward to reading and enjoying your story, but there is a possibility that I won't be able to until I have an internet connection again, which may be as late as January 2nd. *weeps tears of despair* I'll do my best to go online before that, but just in case I am unable to, know that I love you and that you have my wholehearted thanks for writing me a story!
♥
mellish

P.S. Same goes for anyone who scribbled me a treat. Kisses, hugs, etc. Merry Christmas!

Dear Yuletide Santa 2009

2009-11-15T05:33:54Z

EDIT: I have now included the characters I selected for the fandom! x_x I apologize for not having done that earlier.

Dear Yuletide Santa,

First of all, thank you for participating! I am really excited to read your story. I hope that this year's yuletide will be as fun for you as it already is for me. :D The fandoms I picked this year are things I would enjoy reading anything about; I did put specific characters, to make it a little easier, but generally these fandoms simply need more fic and I'd be happy if you contributed writing to any of them.

I made a rambly, comprehensive personal likes and dislikes list last year, but it's a little confusing, so I've simplified it for this Christmas.

Things I appreciate:
Ambiguous relationships
Strong emotion
Bittersweet and sad-happy
In-character characters showing their distinct personalities
Speculation on back story/future/possible ending
Romance that takes a while to sort out
Generally, genfic, but I like all genres 8D
Prose written almost lyrically (I know, this is kind of difficult. What I mean is I am kind of a sucker for stylish fic, usually the layered-on, dream-sequence, semi-conscious type. BUT I have loved many very concrete stories too; it's just a preference I noticed)

Things I would rather not see:
Mpreg
Genderswitch
PWP. Or no plot, actually.
Situations/personality switches that make absolutely no sense in canon - I'm not saying the canon storyline has to be followed (meaning AUs are fine), but I would like something that would still work or be easy enough to imagine in canon context.

I'm totally fine with violence/gore. Would prefer no porn unless it's necessary to the story (which I could see happening in the case of, say, Nana). :)

About the requests:
1. Nabari no Ou - Kazuhiko Yukimi/Miharu Rokujou/Raikou Shimizu/Yoite

I read this manga just last year and immediately fell in love with the constant angsting and general unhappiness going on. Although sometimes the plotholes irk me, it's okay because everyone's life is being threatened (I'm so weird, I know). I like Miharu and Yoite in equal amounts and their totally canon beyond-love understanding of each other. I like Yukimi being more practical than most other people, his not-caring care of Yoite. I like Raikou and his bad fashion sense. Just play up on anything already present in the series, and I will love you forever.

2. Diana Wynne Jones: Dalemark Quartet - Brid/Kialan/Moril

DWJ books need more fic love, in general. I've finished Cart and Cwidder and Drowned Ammett (eternal ♥ for both of them), and I would appreciate reading any fic about either story. Well, I would particularly love milky Moril anything. Or Ynen, because he is so sweet. Also I've always wondered about Brid's 'I feel embarrassed about liking him,' in reference to Kialan.

3. Nana - Nobuo Terashima/Reira Serizawa/Shin Okazaki/Shion

Oh, Nana. Every time I need to work, I suddenly have an urge to read this manga. Then I have to run through five whole volumes (or more) because it's so damn addicting. Everyone's love is tangled, and there are so many layers to each relationship. Also, Yazawa's expressions are the best! I like most of the characters, especially Shin (I'm interested in his relationship with Reira, especially since I don't like Reira too much herself) and Nobu (ditto goes for Nobu with Hachi). Actually, I would appreciate stories more centered on the guys (any of them) rather than the girls, with the exception of Shion. I know she's only a minor character, but every time I read the manga, I like her more and more. She's not a drama queen like the other girls, and I appreciate her attitude towards Yasu - how she plainly cares for him, even if he can't return her feelings. You can go crazy with this request, though, since I'm basically weak for Nana anything. XD

4. Spirited Away - Chihiro/Haku

I haven't watched this in a while. I've always wanted nice post-movie fic about them reuniting somehow. BUT even something set during the movie would make me happy. Any kind of believable interaction between the two characters would be awesome.

Thanks for reading, if you got this far! :) I'd like to repeat, though, that these are just preferences. Go ahead and write what you would like to, and I can assure you I will appreciate it no matter what it is.

fry me

2009-10-16T13:49:06Z

So is McDonald's really evil, or not? Some of the article is a little hard to believe. Also, I don't think they are that meticulous with their french fries (0.28 inches in thickness), at least not in this country. =|

However, their chicken fillet is very tasty, if not rather small. (Come on, it is 50 pesos.)

This week was:
+ Marked by excessive use of the f-word.
+ Marked by losing jugs and umbrellas.
+ Marked by me facepalming at disappointing teachers.
+ When I say pens, you say sexy.
+ Fingers crossed.

I'm not yet on sembreak but it is very tempting to drop everything and run right now. I was actually starting to gag again today. Proposed therapy: Spring Awakening with awesome people tomorrow, and. Copious amounts of poetry and Dissidia.

Oh! Oh! And yuletide is coming again EEEEE

Sand Animation

2009-10-09T12:38:09Z

Ukraine's Got Talent 2009 winner.

How does she do it?

Part 1:

Part 2:

Water

2009-09-30T08:34:01Z

Have not been posting much, on account of life being pretty ~~ugly~~ sad (with often continuous intervals of stress and anger) these past few months. However, things happened in the last few days that make me feel like I'm actually capable of facing things again, so I'm through wangsting here. We shall have sunshine instead. (Yes, enjoying the sunshine before the next two tropical storms hit.)

I hope you are all well and breathing and generally in an okay mood. I hope everyone got through the storm, that your loved ones are safe and your houses are no longer underwater. I also hope we all get through the next two weeks of class, because I am pretty sure academics are going to be crazy.

People are still in need of help following the wake of Ondoy, so those who can, please please donate. Volunteers are always a big help too. There are relief efforts practically everywhere (Ateneo, Poveda, ABC Foundation), but if you need help knowing where to send your donations or where to offer your time, just let me know. If you're an artist, please also take a look at this: START HERE is an effort that aims to collect visions of creation and rebuilding of artists all over the world to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in the Philippines. My friend Lor is starting this, it would be great if you guys could help out.

the lime burner's daughter

2009-07-12T06:28:01Z

I just wanted to share this beautiful poem.

The Cinnamon Peeler || Michael Ondaatje

If I were a cinnamon peeler
I would ride your bed
And leave the yellow bark dust
On your pillow.

Your breasts and shoulders would reek
You could never walk through markets
without the profession of my fingers
floating over you. The blind would
stumble certain of whom they approached
though you might bathe
under rain gutters, monsoon.

Here on the upper thigh
at this smooth pasture
neighbour to you hair
or the crease
that cuts your back. This ankle.
You will be known among strangers
as the cinnamon peeler's wife.

I could hardly glance at you
before marriage
never touch you
--your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers.
I buried my hands
in saffron, disguised them
over smoking tar,
helped the honey gatherers...

When we swam once
I touched you in the water
and our bodies remained free,
you could hold me and be blind of smell.
you climbed the bank and said

this is how you touch other women
the grass cutter's wife, the lime burner's daughter.
And you searched your arms
for the missing perfume

and knew

what good is it
to be the lime burner's daughter
left with no trace
as if not spoken to in the act of love
as if wounded without the pleasure of a scar.

You touched
your belly to my hands
in the dry air and said
I am the cinnamon
Peeler's wife. Smell me.

Found through the July theme set at 31_days, which is beautiful (as per usual). I don't have time to write, but seeing those prompts made me want to. Actually - I know time to write won't happen, I've got to make it happen, but with all the long tests and group works and org work that needs to be done between that...I don't know. When I sit down to write I find myself dry, or I end up just launching into a litany about stat/accounting/fatigue again. It's worse now that I hardly even have weekends. :(

One more pretty thing, I guess, wouldn't hurt. I found myself thinking, wouldn't it be nice to write heart-wrenching shortfic like this, written by reddwarfer. (It's Hijikata/Souji from Peacemaker Kurogane. I'm amazed at all the beautiful fics I randomly find for this pairing, even when I don't actually go out looking for any.)

I spam you with links and scifi ignorance

2009-05-27T17:33:30Z

What I do when I should be sleeping: youtube.

Simon Says...Ditch your friends!

I just find it a little bit odd that they keep saying it was a good idea to leave your friend, you are now liberated! They didn't seem to think she was that bad, at first. And I found Amanda's "Now the British public will be your friend!" comment very evil. I disapprove of all this famewhoring.

Talented children are the way to go. 8D From last year:
SINGING CHILD

or

DANCING CHILD?

Difficult to choose. Dancing child won in the end, though.

On Star Trek
I don't know anything about the series, really, so long time fans, ignore my ignorance, and don't mind this. I'm just spouting my reaction to the movie.

+ I never knew there were space cadets with uniforms. 8D With like DIFFERENT AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION. There is a medic unit!!1 (Of course obviously in a vehicle like a space ship they would have medics but the idea of a medicine school for outer space never occurred to me.)

+ I am horribly drawn to Spock, especially young!Spock is his tutor-pod-thing with his awesome full length bangs

+ How is it possible that Kirk got choked/punched/kicked so many times and was, like, totally fine five seconds afterwards? D:

+ Russian kid (Chekov) was WIN! So was ~~Harold~~ Sulu, especially in the swordfighting part. It was like watching an exhibition in Soul Calibur. *glee*

+ Birthing scene so close to the opening sequence. o_o But I found the father cute.

+ What shocks me about this movie is how G-rated it was. Probably the most gruesome part was the brain-sucking beetle, but even that wasn't bad. D: Also maybe when their overenthusiastic crew member got torched due to his own stupidity, but that scene was funny. Intentionally, I think. I swear, the whole thing was SO UTTERLY HAPPY with sunshine and rainbows and everyone was like :D at the end and they flew into space and lived happily ever after! Everyone lived except for ~~Winona Ryder~~ ~~Eric Bana~~ um, bad people and unfortunately Spock's mother! YAY! It was even happier than Slumdog Millionaire. Happier than a chick flick. Happier than a feel-good movie. Why do I find that so weird?

I've always been intrigued by that alternate-reality-each-choice-splits-the-universe idea. I think the concept was most clearly explained to me in DWJ's Deep Secret, but it's really something I'd like to learn more about. In fact sometimes I do randomly think about that alternate world, but it's a little bit creepy (and I guess depressing in some cases), so maybe it's better not to.